TMNT 2003: A Brother's Guilt
by Clovee93
Summary: Takes place at the beginning of the episode 'The Ancient One'. What if Leo attacked and hurt Mikey instead of Master Splinter during his training session? A 'what-if' story. I do not own TMNT 2003.


TMNT 2003: A Brother's Guilt

_What if Leo attacked and hurt Mikey instead of Master Splinter during his training session? __Takes place at the beginning of the episode 'The Ancient One'. _

_A 'what-if' story. __I do not own TMNT 2003._

/

"I told you, Master Splinter; I'm fine! Why do you keep asking me that!?"

The sound of Leo's frustrated voice echoed within the lair before the sounds of swords clashing against one another could be heard shortly after.

"Are you sure? For months, you have been brooding, and have allowed this feeling of anger to cloud your true emotions!" Master Splinter's voice was then heard before another clashing of swords echoed after that.

Mikey looked up from his comic book with a scared look on his face when he heard the way Leo and Master Splinter were speaking to each other during their training session before he shook his head at the scene.

For some time now since after their major battle with the Shredder, Leo had been bottling up his emotions and allowed this angry persona to take over his body and mind. No matter how hard he and his family tried, Mikey just couldn't get Leo to open up about his true feelings and allow him to help his big brother when he's in this emotional struggle.

In fact, Mikey was now at a stage where he felt that he was losing his true big brother; in the past, Leo would always be there for him and his family and would give him firm but calm reassurance and advice whenever he felt down or had messed up during a mission. Now, Mikey only saw him as someone whose behaviour resembled that of an army commander because he never smiled or had fun with his family anymore and would always train himself and/or his brothers non-stop day and night due to feeling that whatever he and his brothers did during missions wasn't good enough in his opinion.

More sounds of swords clashing suddenly snapped Mikey out of his thoughts, making him get up from the sofa and walk to where his other brothers were standing as he looked back at the dojo area to see Leo stop and speak firmly to Master Splinter, who went to pick up his fallen sword from the floor before they carried on with their sword fight.

"You want me to be more open!? Ok, this katana lesson _stinks_! I mastered it years ago! YEARS AGO!" _Clash! _

"I've already mastered this lesson!" _Clash! _

"And yesterday's lesson!" _Clash! _

"And the lesson before that!" _Clash! _

"WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TEACH ME SOMETHING THAT I DON'T ALREADY KNOW!?"

Before Master Splinter could answer, one of Leo's katanas clashed with his sword, hard enough to send it flying out of his furry paws again. Mikey then looked on in horror as Leo was about to strike Master Splinter, who was left defenseless, whilst in a blind rage. Having had enough of this, he jumped into the dojo area and ran towards the duo with his nun-chucks in hand.

"Raaarrrgh!" Leo shouted out as he raised one of his swords and aimed for Master Splinter's head, but it didn't hit its target and was instead blocked by Mikey's strong nun-chuck chain.

Raph and Donnie just stood on their spots with shock showing on their faces as they saw Mikey standing in front of Leo and stopped his attack with his own weapon, causing Master Splinter to open his closed eyes and look up before he gasped and his eyes widened to see his youngest son not only in front of him but also protecting him.

"Wha…Mikey!?" Leo said angrily as soon as he snapped out of his rage and backed away to see his little brother in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing!? Stand aside!" He then warned him in a threatening tone, but Mikey wouldn't budge.

"Leo, this has to stop!" Mikey said firmly but sadly after he shook his head.

"What!? Michelangelo, you interrupted my training session just to tell me _that_!?" Leo said in astonishment before he stepped forward by one step and said, "Get out of the way and leave me to train in peace!"

"No, Leo! You were about to strike Master Splinter whilst he was standing here without a weapon! Why didn't you stop when that happened? You could have seriously hurt him!" Mikey said firmly as he stood his ground, refusing to back away.

"I won't ask you again, Michelangelo; get out of the way!" Leo commanded angrily.

"I said, no! Not until you talk to us, Leo! You've been bottling everything up inside you lately and that bottle is getting close to blowing up…This isn't you, bro! Please, let us help you!" Mikey pleaded before small tears began to develop in his eyes due to the sadness in his heart since his big brother still refused to open up to him and his family.

"Mikey…" "Bro…" His brothers said as they and sensei looked at him in awe and sorrow when he said those words. However, Leo was still having none of it.

"You know what, Michelangelo; if you're going to continue with this trouble-making and wasting my time, then I'll have to teach you a lesson! I've warned you more than once to get out of my way, but now you have left me with. No. CHOICE!" He said in annoyance and anger before he charged at his little brother with his katanas.

_/_

_-Break-_

/

Mikey gasped and turned to grab Master Splinter and move him and himself aside just in time before Leo could hit either of them with his katanas.

"Leo, wait! Don't do this! I just wanna talk!" Mikey shouted out to try and calm his brother down as he spun his nun-chucks, but to no avail.

"Shut up! You were asking for this, Michelangelo! Again, you just won't listen to a simple order that I give you and you know why? Because you're always being childish and you never take anything seriously!" Leo yelled out in frustration before he went for the attack again.

Mikey was able to block Leo's katanas with his nun-chucks, but he wasn't fast enough to avoid Leo's hard kick to the stomach, causing him to fly further away from him and land hard on the ground.

As he was getting up, Mikey heard Leo speak to him again whilst slowly walking towards him.

"What type of ninja allows his enemies the best chance to win!?"

Mikey looked up in time to see Leo jumping up into the air and dive towards him with his katanas before he moved out of the way and stood back up with his nun-chucks spinning.

"You constantly show-off for no reason at all, you always avoid training, and you're never serious in battle! In other words..." Leo spoke as he attempted to land a hit on Mikey who was blocking his attacks whilst his eyes grew wide from the words he was hearing from his own brother.

"You're useless, and is only good at getting someone killed, especially Master Splinter since he is always risking his life to save yours every time you let your guard down!"

"That's not true, Leo! I never meant to get Master Splinter hurt…and I do try my best at being a proper ninja, but I can't be the same as everyone else-" Mikey tried to speak up for himself but Leo cut him off as his rage began to build up again.

"Enough of your excuses! It's all talk and no action when it comes to you, and all that joking around and talking about being the Battle Nexus Champion just grates on everyone's nerves! That all ends _today_, Michelangelo!"

By the time Leo stopped talking, he got Mikey close to the edge of the lair's pool and was attacking him from all sides. Mikey tried with all his might to block and counter all of Leo's attacks but his nun-chucks were knocked away to the side after the first few attacks.

Once that happened, Leo went for the finishing move without holding anything back and struck Mikey by deeply slashing his plastron with both his katanas, creating two severe and bleeding slash wounds on his little brother's stomach area.

Raph, Donnie, and Master Splinter gasped and looked on in horror as they watched Mikey gasp and his eyes widen when he felt the intense pain coming from his plastron. He looked at Leo with tears in his eyes before his body slowly fell backward and was heading for the water behind him.

"L-Leo…" Mikey choked out his brother's name as he tried to reach for him with one of his outstretched hands, but Leo just stood there with his eyes slowly widening in shock and horror before he dropped his blood-covered katana swords as he began to realise what he had just done.

"No…w-what have I…?" As he was speaking to himself, a loud splash was heard as Mikey's body hit the water and began to sink.

"MIKEY!" Michelangelo!" Raph, Donnie, and Master Splinter yelled out before Raph ran over to the pool and dove into the water to try and rescue Mikey.

_/_

_-Break-_

_/_

_Underwater…_

Mikey was sinking slowly under the cold and dark depths of the lair's pool, and his eyes were barely open since he couldn't breathe underwater and his wounds were bleeding more as he sunk.

'He's right…I really am useless…' Mikey thought sadly to himself when he thought back to what Leo said to him earlier before continuing.

'I just…cause nothing but trouble…and grief to everyone…' By now, he was beginning to slip into unconsciousness due to the shock from the attack, lack of oxygen, and the cold water around him.

'I'm…I'm so sorry…bros, dad…for everything…I tried…to be better…but…I've failed…'

Before his eyes shut completely, he managed to see something green and red swimming quickly towards him, which he soon recognized as Raph. He smiled faintly and sadly.

'R-Raphie…' he thought before his eyes closed completely and allowed his body to sink limply.

'No, Mikey! Don't give up on me now, bro…!' Raph said in his mind with determination on his face as he watched Mikey lose consciousness and sink further away from him.

With this in mind, Raph swam faster to try and reach for Mikey despite the water's cold temperature hitting him as he did so. Eventually, he caught up to his baby brother and grabbed hold of him carefully to avoid catching his injuries before he made his way back up to the surface with his unconscious brother in his arms.

/

_At the surface…_

Everyone waited anxiously for any signs of Raph and Mikey coming back up from under the water, especially Leo who was still in shock from what he did to his little brother and he was on his knees whilst staring at his blood-covered katanas with wide eyes.

Suddenly, he was snapped out of his thoughts when Raph appeared from out of the water with a splash and a huge gasp as he tried to catch his breath after holding it in for too long. He then swam quickly to the platform with his right arm wrapped around Mikey.

"Raph, Mikey!" Donnie shouted out in relief but worry when he saw that Mikey was out cold.

"Master Splinter, get me some towels, hurry!" He then called out to his sensei who nodded and quickly ran to get the much-needed towels for his cold and wet sons.

Raph managed to get both himself and Mikey out of the water with the help of Donnie before he coughed and took a few deep breaths to regain his senses. A moment after that, he, Donnie, and Leo heard the sounds of coughing coming from their baby brother whose eyes were still closed whilst he was coughing out any water that might have gone into his lungs.

"Mikey! Thank goodness…" Donnie said as he went over to his baby brother and turned his head to the right to prevent him from choking.

"Easy, bro, easy…you're ok…" Raph soothed Mikey whilst he rubbed his brother's arm to comfort him when he heard him grunt and moan in pain after finishing his coughing fit. He then saw Master Splinter running over to them with a pile of towels in his arms.

"Thank you, Master. Here, Raph; put this towel over his wounds and keep the pressure on them whilst I get him dried!" Donnie said firmly as he passed a towel over to Raph who grabbed it and placed it over the slash wounds to stem the bleeding temporarily until proper medical treatment was given, whilst Donnie used another towel to rub Mikey's body dry before he wrapped a towel around Raph since, like all his brothers, he was cold-blooded and unable to regulate his body temperature normally.

Master Splinter watched this all take place before he turned to look at his oldest son who, despite snapping out of his inner thoughts, just sat there and stared at his brothers as they worked to make sure that Mikey was stable. He walked over to him and placed a furry hand on his son's shoulder before he spoke in a firm but soft voice.

"Leonardo, if you wish to atone for what happened, then help your brothers save Michelangelo!"

Leo looked up at his sensei and then to his brothers again before he nodded with an unsure but determined look on his face since he was worried that Raph and Donnie would not allow him anywhere near Mikey after what he just did to him. As he slowly got up and began to move towards his brothers, Leo saw Donnie look over at him and spoke with urgency in his voice.

"Leo! Get the first aid kit and stretcher! We need to stabilise him before we can get him into the infirmary!"

After hearing that, Leo nodded and ran towards the infirmary to get the first aid kit and stretcher before he quickly went back to his brothers. He gave Donnie the first aid kit and placed the stretcher to one side nearby, and then he knelt down and stayed close to Mikey, who was breathing abnormally and his face was full of pain.

"What da shell were ya thinkin', Leo!? Mikey just wanted ta talk ta ya, but ya went berserk on him and almost tried ta kill him!" Raph suddenly hissed out in anger with his face seething with rage at his older brother.

"I-I…" Leo tried to speak but he was still recovering from his shock.

"Raph! Not now! Let's continue this discussion after Mikey has been stabilised!" Donnie said firmly to his red-banded brother as he worked to patch up Mikey's wounds so that he would be stable enough to be transferred onto the stretcher to be taken to the infirmary.

"Alright, that should hold for now…Give me a hand with transferring him onto the stretcher, you two!" Donnie then said as he placed the stretcher next to Mikey's cold and wounded body.

Despite the tension between them, Leo and Raph had put their feelings to one side and worked together to carefully lift their baby brother onto the stretcher; with Leo lifting the upper body and Raph lifting the lower body. Once Mikey was on the stretcher, Master Splinter came over and covered Mikey with a blanket to try and warm him up since he was starting to shiver.

"Raph, you take the bottom end of the stretcher while I take the top end. We'll move carefully and slowly so that we don't disturb his injuries. Ok?" Donnie said seriously to Raph who grunted with a nod before moving towards the bottom end of the stretcher. Donnie then turned to Leo and Master Splinter.

"Leo, you stay here with Master Splinter…I might be a while…" He said with a disappointed look on his face when he looked at Leo. Even though Donnie was upset at Leo on the inside for hurting their brother, he knew that Leo wasn't his true self when he attacked Mikey.

And with that, Donnie and Raph lifted Mikey off the floor and slowly but quickly made their way into the infirmary, leaving a stunned and wide-eyed Leo to watch on before tears began to develop in his eyes as they left. Seeing this, Master Splinter placed a comforting hand on Leo's shoulder before he spoke to him in the same tone as before.

"Leonardo…Michelangelo will be alright…Believe in him…"

"I-I…I didn't mean to…I-I don't know what came over me, Master Splinter…I just…lost control…" Leo said in a desperate stutter before he lowered his head and let his tears fall after his last two words made him realise that the way he was acting was wrong, especially since it had almost cost him his little brother's life to do so.

"I will be in my room meditating on this matter at hand…As soon as you know more about Michelangelo's condition later, come to my room…I wish to speak with you about your actions…" Master Splinter said with a sigh before he walked away from Leo and headed towards his room to meditate in peace, leaving Leo to watch him go with sorrow and regret showing on his face.

_/_

_-Break-_

_/_

_Two hours later..._

Leo was sat on the sofa and was waiting anxiously for any news from the infirmary, the door of which remained closed ever since Donnie and Raph took Mikey inside to treat his wounds.

He didn't know what to say; he attacked and hurt his own baby brother because he let his anger and emotional scars take control of his actions and words. Also, he didn't know what he should say to Mikey once he sees him since there was a chance that he would either be banned from seeing him by Raph and Donnie or Mikey himself might not want to see him until further notice. Either way, he didn't know what to do until then.

A moment later, an exhausted Donnie walked out of the infirmary with Raph, who was also looking a bit tired, and they both walked over to Leo with firm looks on their faces as he stood up and spoke.

"How is he?"

"Mikey's fine, sore and tired but fine…We were able to get his temperature back to normal with a few blankets and warm IV fluids, and I've managed to successfully clean and stitch up his wounds even though they weren't deep enough to expose his stomach, but his plastron may take weeks to heal…Despite losing a lot of blood, he didn't lose enough for the need to have a blood transfusion. At the moment, he's resting with some pain relief to help him feel more comfortable whilst he sleeps…" Donnie answered with his 'Doctor Don' voice.

"In other words, Leo; he's lucky ta be alive…" Raph said with a low growl as he got closer to Leo with a dark look on his face before he spoke again.

"What da shell happened back there, Leo!? Not only did ya hurt Mikey physically but ya also hurt him emotionally with your harsh words! It took us ages ta calm him down when he woke up after Donnie stitched him up…!"

"W-What!? He woke up!?" Leo questioned with the look of shock and surprise on his face after he heard that his baby brother had woken up.

"Yeah, but he started cryin' not long after dat when we told him what happened…In fact, he started blamin' himself fa what happened ta ya and everyone else in da past…!" Raph answered him flatly, causing Leo's eyes to widen in shock before Raph and Donnie began their story on what happened in the infirmary not long ago.

_/_

_Flashback…_

_Donnie finished inserting and tying the last two stitches in Mikey's second slash wound before he wiped the sweat off of his forehead and asked Raph to pass him the roll of bandages to start wrapping and binding the wounds to protect them. _

_After doing that, Donnie sat down on his chair to catch his breath and allow his tired mind and body to relax before Raph came over and placed a hand on his shoulder._

_"Ya did good, Brainiac…" He said with a smirk as he gently squeezed Donnie's shoulder._

_"Thanks, Raph…It was close, but we saved him…The only thing we need to do now is to wait for him to wake up..." Donnie said quietly as he looked from Raph to Mikey with a sad smile on his face. Raph nodded in understanding as he too looked at his baby brother who was sleeping and breathing better than he was before._

_Half an hour later, Mikey began to stir and slowly open his eyes. Donnie dimmed the lights slightly to make sure that the room wasn't too bright for his little brother during his awakening, whilst Raph got closer to Mikey's bed and held his baby brother's hand in his own to let him know that he was there for him._

_"Ngh…Urgh…" Mikey grunted and moved his head from side-to-side as he started to feel very sore from his wounds whilst he was waking up._

_"Shhh…easy, Mikey…we're here…" Donnie soothed Mikey as he placed a gentle hand on his brother's forehead to stop it from moving too much._

_"It's alright, bro…open your eyes…" Raph said as he gave Mikey's hand a gentle squeeze._

_Soon, Mikey's eyes were fully opened and the first thing he saw when he fully woke up were two of his older brothers, causing him to develop a small smile._

_"B-Bros…" he said in a raspy voice due to lack of use and the coughing from earlier had made it a bit sore._

_"Oh, you're awake…thank shell…" Donnie said with a sigh of relief before he gave his baby brother a gentle hug, which Mikey returned by nuzzling his immediate older brother's shoulder since he was still too weak to lift his arms up._

_"Hey, Mikey…How're ya feelin'?" Raph spoke next._

_"Tired…and my stomach hurts…" Mikey replied tiredly before he flinched at the slight pain in his stomach area._

_"I know, Mikey…your wounds on your plastron were pretty bad…they weren't too deep, but they still needed stitches…" Donnie explained softly to Mikey who nodded in understanding before he turned to Raph with a small smile and spoke._

_"Raphie…you saved me from drowning, didn't you? You ok?"_

_"Yeah, of course I saved ya! You're my lil' bro! And I'm doin' fine, a bit ticked off at Leo but I'm fine…" Raph answered with a surprised look on his face before he watched Mikey's eyes widen when he heard Leo's name._

_"Leo...is he…still mad at me?" Mikey said with his voice cracking a bit and tears beginning to develop in his eyes._

_"No, no…he's calmed down now, little brother, and he's realized now that what he did was wrong…He wasn't himself when he attacked you…" Donnie answered quickly as he rubbed his baby brother's head in comfort._

_"B-But…did you see the way he looked at me? He hated me, bro…he still does…!" Mikey said in denial as his tears fell._

_"He doesn't hate ya, Mikey…Dat wasn't da Leo we know, cos it was his anger dat took over and got da better of him…" Raph said as he gently wiped the tears off of Mikey's face._

_"T-The things he said…he was right…I'm…useless… and no good to anyone… he should have just stabbed me in the heart when he had the chance back then… cos I just get everyone hurt or almost killed… including Master Splinter… he almost died twice because of _me_!" Mikey carried on before he broke down crying. His heart was now broken and he was no longer able to contain his emotions._

_"Hey, hey… no… Mikey, you're wrong…you mean a lot to us and we love you as you are now; a comical and fun-loving guy with a heart of light…" Donnie said firmly but softly as he engulfed Mikey in another gentle hug. He couldn't believe that Mikey would feel that way about himself just because Leo told him so to his face whilst in a fit of rage._

_"Yeah, and what happened ta Master Splinter back then was _not _your fault, bro! He did what he thought was right cos you're his son, and he would do da same fa all of us cos he loves us…" Raph pointed out in agreement before he rubbed his baby brother's head to try and soothe his sadness._

_"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" The two older brothers heard Mikey chanting an apology to them, causing them to look at each other with sad looks before they went back to try and comfort Mikey as best they could; with Donnie softly shushing him and Raph gently squeezing his hand._

_After a few minutes went by, Donnie and Raph noticed that Mikey was starting to settle down when only the sounds of sniffles and hiccups were heard from the wounded turtle. Donnie slowly released Mikey from the hug to look at his tired and tear-filled face before laying his head back down on his pillow._

_"You ok, bro?" Raph asked in concern._

_"Sniff…N-No…but I…I will be…" Mikey replied tiredly as his eyes began to droop, indicating that he was starting to fall asleep._

_"Go back to sleep, Mikey…you've been through a lot…" Donnie said softly as he pulled the blanket up to Mikey's shoulders and tucked him in._

_"Yeah, and don't forget that we love ya, bro, and so does Leo…" Raph said with a sad smile before he rubbed his baby brother's head to help soothe him to sleep._

_"L-Love you too…bros…" Mikey said in a whisper before he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. __Donnie then walked over to the IV fluid bag and injected a painkiller into the bag. _

_"This will help ease the pain that Mikey is currently feeling and will help him sleep better…" He explained to Raph, who was giving him a questioning look when he saw him inject the medicine into the bag before he nodded in understanding and heard him speak again._

_"Let's go and let Leo and Master Splinter know that Mikey is going to be ok."_

_"Right, and ta give Leo a piece of our minds!" Raph said firmly but quietly since he didn't want to wake his baby brother up._

_Donnie nodded before he and Raph left the infirmary to let Mikey sleep in peace._

_/_

_-Break-_

_/_

_Present…_

After hearing Raph and Donnie's full story on what happened in the infirmary, Leo could no longer stay standing due to his legs shaking from the shock of how Mikey felt about himself when he woke up, so he sat back down with wide eyes and an open mouth. After a moment of silence, Leo spoke as he covered his despair-filled face with both hands.

"I-I…I can't believe this…W-What have I done…!?"

"Oh, I don't know, Leo…But all I know is dis; Ya almost killed Mikey and then broke his heart! Ya should've listened ta him and stopped fightin' instead of slashin' ya swords and throwin' insults at him like he was your enemy!" Raph said angrily with his blood boiling before he felt a hand on his shoulder, which belonged to Donnie who spoke next but in a firm but calmer tone.

"Look, Leo, we get that you're going through an internal struggle with yourself right now, but Mikey made a good point earlier; you've been bottling up your emotions for months and you never talked to us or allowed us to help you with what you're going through in your mind…Why?"

"I…I don't know…I was just…so angry cos…I felt that no matter what I did…or how hard I trained…I just felt that...it wasn't good enough…and that I'll never protect anyone…" Leo answered with tears developing in his eyes.

"How can ya say dat?! Ya puttin' everythin' dat da _Shredder _and _Karai _did ta us on your shoulders and turnin' it into self-guilt and self-doubt as a leader! But guess what, Leo? Ya not just our leader, ya also our big bro!" Raph suddenly said in shock with wide eyes.

"Raph's right, Leo…not only had the Shredder's actions affected you but they also affected all of us…None of us knew what was going to happen and we all agreed to sacrifice ourselves in order to save our world. What happened in that spaceship was not your fault!" Donnie said in agreement.

Leo gasped as he looked up at his two younger brothers with a face of realisation and shock after hearing those words. They were right; he wasn't just the team's leader but he was also a big brother and a son in the family, and even he couldn't have predicted what would happen during their battle against the Shredder in his spaceship. However, he allowed the feelings of guilt, regret, and doubt from their near-death experience to make him lose control of his anger and be in denial of his actions towards the way he treated those close to him, and it was the serious injuring of Mikey by him that finally made him see that.

"I'm sorry…I'm so sorry, my brothers…" Leo said guiltily before he covered his face with both hands again as his tears started to fall.

"We know you are, bro…but it's not just us that needs an apology from you…" Donnie reminded him with a sad smile with Raph nodding in agreement with a grunt.

"You're right; I need to apologise to Mikey, but before I do that I need to go and see Master Splinter…he wants to have a word with me as soon as I knew more about Mikey's condition…" Leo said with a nod before he stood up from his seat on the sofa.

"Alright, then we'll watch over Mikey and let you know when he wakes up again..." Donnie said in understanding before he and a reluctant Raph made their way back to the infirmary.

Leo watched them leave and enter the infirmary. He then sighed and took a deep breath before he started his walk towards Master Splinter's room whilst preparing himself for whatever might happen next.

_/_

_-Break-_

/

Leo reached the sliding door, which led to Master Splinter's room, and he opened it slowly and looked inside to see his Master meditating since his eyes were closed.

"Sit down, my son…" Master Splinter suddenly said firmly without opening his eyes, so Leo did what his sensei said immediately without a word. Unbeknownst to him, Donnie and Raph walked over to the door and secretly listened in to what was about to take place.

"Master, I…I don't know what to say…" He said miserably after a moment of silence.

"There is no need, my son…We have all been badly affected by the battle with the Shredder all those months ago. Your brothers and I are healing, but you are not…You have allowed yourself to let your anger, which was caused by self-guilt and blame, to cloud your true emotions and stray from the true path of ninjitsu. Because of this, your youngest brother was wounded by your own hands…" Master Splinter said firmly but softly before he asked Leo a question.

"How is Michelangelo?"

"Donnie and Raph have told me that he's going to be fine, Master, but I've clearly broken his heart because of what I said to him during the fight…I haven't seen him yet since he's still resting…" Leo answered formally whilst avoiding contact with Master Splinter due to his shame and guilt.

"I see…Michelangelo will be alright, Leonardo. That is all that matters…" Master Splinter said after breathing a sigh of relief, with Leo nodding in agreement before he spoke.

"I've also yet to apologise to Mikey, but first, I want to tell you that I'm so sorry, Master Splinter…I've let you down and shamed the family name…"

"No, Leonardo…it is I who should be apologizing to you, because you are right; I have not been teaching you anything new for a while now…which is why I have decided that you should be taught under a new master…" Master Splinter responded, causing Leo to gasp and widen his eyes in shock.

"What? No, Master, I'm fine here! I can't leave my brothers!"

"I have already made up my mind, my son…The master that I have chosen to take you in is the one who taught my Master Yoshi the way of the ninja…His name is The Ancient One and he resides in Japan...we must make the necessary preparations for your departure…" Master Splinter explained before he got up from his seat and was about to move when Leo spoke.

"Wait, Master Splinter…Before I go, I need to go see Mikey; I really need to speak with him and apologise for what I did to him…and I also need to say goodbye to him as well as to Raph and Donnie…"

"Very well…go and see your brothers…It will be some time before you return to us, my son…" Master Splinter said with a nod before he watched Leo stand up and head towards the door.

As soon as Leo opened the sliding door, he was met by Raph and Donnie, who both had sad looks on their faces which could only mean one thing.

"How much of the conversation did you two hear?" Leo asked with a sigh.

"Everything...Leo, do you really have to go?" Donnie answered before tears began to develop in his eyes.

"Master Splinter has already made up his mind, Don…there's nothing I can do…" Leo said sadly as he placed a comforting hand on Donnie's shoulder.

"Hey, dis ain't goodbye forever, bro…remember dat, cos as soon as ya finished with your trainin' under dis new sensei, ya can come back home ta us…" Raph said firmly and confidently as he placed a hand each on his brothers' shoulders.

"You're right, Raph… even though I don't know how long I'll be away for, I'll definitely be back once I've completed my training…" Leo said with a nod before he spoke again. "Is Mikey still asleep?"

"Yes, but you can go and see him before you leave if you want to…" Donnie answered before he watched as Leo nodded and walked towards the infirmary, with Raph and himself following him close behind.

/

_-Break-_

/

Leo slowly entered the infirmary with Raph and Donnie close behind him, and once he saw Mikey on the bed his eyes began to fill with tears again. He was then given a gentle nudge by Raph since he wasn't moving, and he got closer to his baby brother's bed and continued to look at him with a sad and guilty look on his face.

"Mikey…My little brother…" He whispered as he gently held Mikey's hand before his tears fell after he closed his eyes. Raph and Donnie looked at Leo before they looked at each other in sadness when they saw Leo slowly starting to break down.

"Mmmm…Ngh…"

A small murmur was suddenly heard from the injured turtle, startling Leo and causing him to look at him with a surprised look on his face when he saw Mikey's eyes starting to open slowly.

"Mikey?" Leo said softly as soon as Mikey's eyes were fully opened. Mikey turned his head slightly to the left when he heard Leo's voice and then looked on in surprise and shock once he saw him standing next to him and looking at him with a teary-eyed look.

"L-Leo…?" He said in a raspy tone.

"Oh, Mikey…You're awake…Thank goodness…" Leo said in relief as he tried but failed to stop the tears from falling.

"W-Why are you…crying?" Mikey questioned tiredly.

"Wha…? Because I'm glad that you're going to be ok, Mikey…Why would you ask me that?" Leo said in surprise and confusion since he didn't understand why Mikey would ask him a silly question such as that.

"I…I thought that…you hated me…cos you're right…I'm a useless ninja…and I can't do anything right…" Mikey replied before he sobbed with his eyes filled with tears again.

This caused Leo to gasp quietly in horror at what he just heard; he couldn't believe that Mikey had taken everything that his big brother said to him to heart and now he was lying there wounded and crying because his words had hurt him emotionally. Leo then snapped out of his shock and he gently squeezed Mikey's hand as he placed his other hand on Mikey's cheek and softly stroked it to try and comfort him before he spoke.

"No…No, Mikey…I don't hate you, and I never will…I'm so sorry, Mikey…I never meant to hurt you both physically and emotionally…"

"B-But…if I'd have been a better ninja…Master Splinter wouldn't have…almost died for me…" Mikey countered back as he sniffled and hiccupped sadly.

"Mikey, Master Splinter saved you because he loves you and he would do the same thing for me, Raph, and Donnie too…" Leo said softly.

"That's what I said earlier…" Donnie said as he and Raph came over to Mikey's bed with sad smiles on their faces when they saw Mikey's heartbroken look on his face again.

"It wasn't your fault, Mikey…it's my fault for leading you to believe that you deserved the blame for someone else's actions…Again, I'm so so sorry, little brother…" Leo said as he shook his head.

"I-It's ok, Leo…what you did to me…was a reality check cos…I need to be a better ninja…I-I don't want to…let anyone down again…!" Mikey said before he turned his head away as he sobbed again with more tears flowed down his face.

Leo looked on at his baby brother with an even more shocked look on his face, with Raph and Donnie doing the same before he let out a frustrated but sad sigh whilst closing his eyes and mentally smacking himself hard in the face for making his baby brother believe in his harsh words. He then sadly looked back at Mikey, slowly leaned over him, and engulfed him into a warm brotherly hug, causing Mikey to open his eyes wide in shock before he turned his head and spoke.

"W-Why…? Why are you…"

"Listen, Mikey; if you changed the way you are now in order to become a 'better' ninja, we would lose the Mikey we all know and love in the process…Is that really what you want?" Leo said softly in Mikey's ear.

"W-Wha…?" Mikey said with a stunned look on his face whilst he hiccupped and sniffled.

"Leo's right, Mikey; we don't want you to get rid of your comical and kid-at-heart nature, because that's what makes you _Mikey_!" Donnie said in agreement with a sad smile.

"Yeah! I'll admit dat ya can be annoyin' and a pain in our shells sometimes, but ya not useless, cos ya do make us laugh and keep da family and team positive even when times get tough, and ya also make us amazin' food fa us everyday cos we would just make a mess in da kitchen when we try ta do it…" Raph said with a smirk and a chuckle when he said the last part.

"No matter what happens or what has been said to you, Mikey, we will always love you for who you are now and we will always need you…" Leo said firmly but softly before he gently kissed his baby brother's head and slightly tightened the hug when Mikey began to cry, but in happiness this time, and nuzzled his big brother's shoulder as a way of accepting the hug.

A couple of minutes later, Leo slowly released himself and his baby brother from the hug as soon as he noticed that Mikey was starting to settle down. He then watched as Mikey looked at him with his still watery face but this time he also had a small smile on his face.

"D-Do you really…mean all that…?" Mikey questioned shyly.

"Of course we do, Mikey…We wouldn't trade you or your true self for anything!" Leo answered with a warm smile, with Raph and Donnie both nodding in agreement to his words.

"T-Thank you…" Mikey said softly before he let one more tear fall from each of his eyes.

Then, Leo's warm smiling face turned into a more serious look when he reminded himself that he needed to tell Mikey about his upcoming trip. He held one of Mikey's hands in his own and took a deep breath before he spoke.

"Mikey, there's something important that I need to tell you…"

"O-Oh, ok…w-what is it?" Mikey questioned nervously.

"Well, Master Splinter has had a word with me about my actions earlier as well as my behaviour since the battle with the Shredder months ago…and he said that it would be best…if I went away to Japan to be taught by a new Master for a while…" Leo explained calmly despite the sadness in his heart.

Mikey's eyes widened in surprise and shock after he processed everything that he just heard from what Leo just said before he spoke.

"W-What? You're leaving!? You can't…we need you here, bro!"

"Mikey…Master Splinter has already made up his mind about this so I can't say no to him without causing another argument…But don't worry little brother; this is only temporary and I will be back home once my training with this new Master has finished…" Leo said as he slightly shook his head before he developed a sad smile when he said the last sentence.

"We're all sad about this, Mikey, but we'll manage and will always be there for each other whilst Leo is away…" Donnie said softly as he placed a comforting hand on Mikey's shoulder, with Raph nodding in agreement with a smirk.

"Ok…You promise that you'll come back, Leo?" Mikey said with a defeated sigh.

"I promise, Mikey…and can _you _promise _me _that you will stay strong and keep your sunny smile going until I get back?" Leo said softly.

"Y-Yeah, I promise…I love you, bro…" Mikey said quietly before he raised his other arm slightly to signal a hug with his big brother, who chuckled lightly and accepted it greatly before saying, "I love you too, little brother…", with Raph and Donnie watching them both with sad but warm smiles and tears in their eyes.

_/_

_-Break-_

/

Leo held his baby brother close for another two minutes before he slowly released the hug and looked at Mikey with a sad but warm smile when he saw how tired he looked, so he gently rubbed his baby brother's head to soothe him back to sleep.

"Rest easy, Mikey…and get well soon before I come back home…ok?" Leo said softly before he watched as Mikey nodded slightly with a small hum and then fall asleep seconds later.

Donnie came closer to the bed and helped Leo with tucking Mikey in a bit more with his blankets before he, Raph, and Leo slowly walked out of the infirmary to allow him to sleep in peace.

Once the infirmary doors were quietly closed, Leo let out a sad sigh and looked down before Raph walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder as he spoke.

"Don't worry about Mikey, bro; he'll be alright and we'll keep him company…"

"Raph's right, Leo; Mikey won't be alone and we'll make sure that he recovers well before you come back home…" Donnie said in agreement as he placed his hand on Leo's other shoulder. Leo sighed again before he nodded and spoke.

"You're right, bros…I know Mikey will be just fine with you guys around him…I better get back to Master Splinter and get my preparations in order…" Leo then wrapped his arms around his brothers and gathered them into a group hug which was quickly accepted by them both. "Goodbye, my brothers…Look after each other and Master Splinter, ok?"

"We will, Leo…Good luck with your training…" Donnie answered first as he nuzzled his oldest brother's shoulder.

"Yeah…take care of ya self out there, bro…cos we won't be there with ya ta get ya outta trouble…" Raph said next as he slightly tightened the hug.

"Thank you, and I will…" Leo said before he released his brothers and looked at them with a sad but warm smile on his face.

Then, Raph and Donnie watched on with heavy hearts as Leo slowly turned away and made his way back to Master Splinter's room to start preparing himself for his journey ahead, which Leo hoped would help him to not only become a better leader and ninja, but also a better brother and son.

The end.


End file.
